Biased political propaganda or carefully-researched facts presented with humor? Michael Moore was on unusually good behavior (for him) in making this documentary and generally refrained from some of the wilder ploys he used in earlier films - although stopping the senators on the street to ask if they would like to sign up their sons to go to Iraq was a bit over the top. He had a large staff carefully check all his facts, but of course we know from these last days of the presidential race that factual information can be spun a number of sometimes diametrically opposed ways. He covers some of the events leading up to 9/11, shows the extended video footage of President Bush sitting in the classroom after being told of both plane strikes, and several revealing interviews. His handling of the actual disaster is in good taste and superbly effective - a black screen with only the sounds in the NYC streets, followed by a screen filled with scraps of floating papers and jetsam.

In spite of the subject matter, Moores own brand of humor still comes thru in many spots, making some of the horrific concepts slightly easier to accept. The extras with the DVD round out the film well; its unfortunate this material wasnt seen by those attending the theatrical presentations. The timely situation around this film raises the already high value of DVD Extras to a whole new level. The documentary on the struggle to get the film distributed is fascinating, and the piece on the three Arab-American comics brings home the fallout affecting them directly from some of the publics absurd fear factor. Whatever your opinion might be of Moore and his approach, I think the primary thing going for this film is that it brought out into the open for public discussion some difficult questions and concerns that we had been dealing with like the ostrich with its head in the sand. Image and sound quality are very good, except of course with home video and TV footage.

Grigori Rasputin is employed by the Nazis to open a portal to hell during WWII. During a failed attempt to open the portal, Rasputin is killed but not before an infant half-human/half-demon crosses over to earth. The infant is discovered by American military and later given the name, Hellboy. Hellboy continues to grow and develop great strength over the next 60 years, all the while assisting a secret government organization by fighting monsters. Here in present day, followers of Rasputin revive him from the dead and he then unleashes a powerful demon called Sammael upon the world. Hellboy attempts to defeat Sammael and also prevent Rasputin from permanently opening the portal. I am a fan of movies based on comic book superheroes, so it comes as no surprise that I enjoyed this film. It has good pacing, a lot of action, and great special effects. Ron Perlman is perfectly cast in the title role, bringing humor and humanity to the Hellboy character. [And Hellboy loves cats...Ed.] Recommended.

The video quality of this DVD is excellent. Images are crisp with razor-sharp detail. Blacks are consistently deep throughout. Colors are rich and dark with well-saturated hues. Picture defect mastering is perfect with no major flaws or digital compression artifacts. The overall audio quality is also excellent with the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track serving as the basis for this review. The soundtrack has a nice balance of all of the discrete channels. Dialogue is clean and natural sounding. The surround channels are aggressively utilized for sound effects and the music score, plus several split rear effects. Low frequency bass is explosive and palpable. Tactile sound effects are present in about one half of the DVDs chapters and appear as subtle to heavy impacts from the sound effects and music soundtrack.

This film took me by surprise. First of all, the picture quality is excellent. The disc opens with a few previews and they couldnt have been a better opening to this filmI felt like I was in the theater. As one of the earliest, successful, black filmmakers, Melvin Van Peebles helped forge the way for many others after his box office hit Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Songa film of black power came out. His son, Mario, has made this film to portray the struggles and ultimate success of his father to bring the revolutionary independent film to the public in the turbulent 70s. Its a clever blend of comedy and drama, and, a great cast brings the characters to life. Its hard to know for sure how much is exaggerated and how much is an accurate look at the life in times in Hollywood of the 1970s.

The interviews of many of those who were involved in the original production as well as those who are admirers of Van Peebles (Sr.) lead the viewer to believe that the depictions in the film are not far from the truth. The extra features on this DVD should not be missed. They help to give a brief historical view of the film and insight into the production and especially how Mario Van Peebles translated what had happened when he was a youngster to today. Inspiration from the original film is discussed and with the narration its importance is made clear. All in all the film is fun and edifying.

After viewing Dial M for Murder, I watched this black and white Hitchcock film from 14 years earlier. Suspicion, based on a novel, has a much more dated feeling than Dial M for Murder. It is somewhat fascinating for a while to watch Cary Grant effectively play the disreputable playboy cad, Johnny and Joan Fontaine, who won an Academy Award for this role, play Lina, a repressed, shy young woman swept off her feet by Johnny. I had a difficult time with the willing suspension of disbelief during most of this film. It did not compute for me that any woman could be so naive and masochistic.

As the film progressed, we are primarily concerned with just what is this charming seemingly sociopathic, devilishly handsome, new husband up to anyway? Is he a murderer or not? Is Lina's paranoia justified? Do we care? The main problem with the film is the ending which isn't congruent at all with the rest of the story. As is revealed in the documentary extra, Hitchcock planned one ending and the studio insisted on another, to the film's detriment.

The making of the movie documentary contained some interesting commentary on the actors and Hitchcock's direction and other aspects of the making of the film. This was Cary Grant's first of four collaborations with Hitchcock who stated "One doesn't direct Cary Grant. One just puts him in front of the camera." If you are a big Hitchcock fan, Suspicion is worth viewing. It just isn't one of his best.

In the opening scene of Dial M for Murder, we learn in just a few moments what it would take filmmakers other than Hitchcock twenty minutes to reveal as the stage is set for the marital infidelity of the beautiful Margot and her husband Tonys plans for her due to his secret knowledge of her affair. Grace Kelly and Ray Milland are both superb in their roles as the beautiful wealthy blond and the former tennis pro living in a small townhouse in London. It is clear the cuckolded husband is up to something. He has a carefully worked out plan for murdering his wife through the use of an old disreputable college classmate. But the perfect crime slowly begins to unravel. This 1954 film holds up very well as a strong suspenseful drama.

The casting is perfect with Milland, as the typical Hitchcock villain, likeable and charming, Grace Kelly as the quintessential beautiful and fragile Hitchcock blonde and Robert Cummings as the mystery writer lover of Kelly. The smaller roles of the detective and the hired assassin are exquisitely done. The strong use of color is noteworthy. For example, when Kelly is with her husband she wears white and with her lover shes gorgeous in red. Naturally the camera angles and moves are all perfect. The choreography of the murder scene is stunning.

Viewing of the two extras enhanced the appreciation of the film. Hitchcock & Dial M is about twenty minutes long and includes interviews with Peter Bogdanovich, M. Night Shyamalan and others who either knew Hitchcock and/or admired his work.

TV journalist Mike Wallace ("60 Minutes") narrates this compelling documentary of how the Allies did nothing from 1942 - 1944 as Jews were being slaughtered by the Nazis. This is a detailed and thorough presentation of how the killings were known to the West. By 1942, Roosevelt was given proof of the mass murder. Churchill also knew. It is horrifying to know that thousands of Jews could have been saved if military action had been taken.

In this 53 minute account, historians, camp survivors, World War II pilots and photography analysts are interviewed and methodically evidence is presented that the Allies looked away. Enough intelligence was available by the end of 1942 that the Allies could have taken action to stop the killing. There's considerable footage of military operations as well as detailed photography of Auschwitz. Crematoria, bridges, tunnels and rail lines could have been effectively targeted and destroyed.

This is an important film rich in evidence and strong opinions.

-- Donna Dorsett

Star Trek: Voyager The Complete Fourth Season (1997-1998)

Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Jeri Ryan
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Video: 4:3 Fullscreen
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby 2.0 Surround
Subtitles: English Closed Captions
Extras: Five featurettes (Braving the Unknown: Season Four, Voyager Time Capsule: Seven of Nine, Voyager Time Capsule: Harry Kim, The Birth of Species 8472, The Art of Alien Worlds); Lost Transmissions from the Delta Quadrant hidden files; photo gallery; Trekkies 2 promo trailer
Length: 1,193 minutes
Rating: *****
The U.S.S. Voyager is an elite Federation starship commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway. In a freak occurrence, Voyager is transported by an alien space probe to the Delta Quadrant. This particular quadrant is located some 70,000 light-years from Federation space. Janeway is thereafter faced with the daunting mission of trying to guide her ship and crew back home. Along their journey, the crew of Voyager encounters new alien species as well as having many memorable adventures. Highlights from the fourth season include: Scorpion Part II where a human assimilated by the Borg called Seven of Nine joins the crew; The Gift in which Kes leaves Voyager after transforming into a new state of being; and Scientific Method where an alien force conducts medical experiments upon the unsuspecting crew of Voyager. The entire twenty-six episodes from the 1997-1998 season plus the special features are spread out over seven discs. (Disc One: Scorpion Part II, The Gift, Day of Honor, Nemesis. Disc Two: Revulsion, The Raven, Scientific Method, Year of Hell Part I. Disc Three: Year of Hell Part II, Random Thoughts, Concerning Flight, Mortal Coil. Disc Four: Waking Moments, Message in a Bottle, Hunters, Prey. Disc Five: Retrospect, The Killing Game Part I, The Killing Game Part II, Vis A Vis. Disc Six: The Omega Directive, Unforgettable, Living Witness, Demon. Disc Seven: One, Hope and Fear, Special Features).

Season Fours video quality is very good. Images are sharp with fine detail. Colors are vibrant and bold with well-saturated hues. Black levels are consistently dark throughout. Picture defect mastering is solid with no major flaws or defects. The overall audio quality is also very good with the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track serving as the basis for this review. The soundtrack mix favors the forward soundstage. Dialogue is crisp and intelligible. Surround channels are moderately active and used for both ambient effects and the music score. The LFE channel is clean and tight. The quality and quantity of tactile sound effects vary amongst episodes, ranging from fair to good.

The television series that launched the entire Star Trek phenomenon, Star Trek: The Original Series follows the adventures of the crew of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise as they embark on a mission to explore outer space. Commanded by Captain James T. Kirk, the crew also includes Vulcan first officer Lt. Commander Spock, feisty medical doctor Bones McCoy, creative engineer Scotty Scott, and officers Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura. During their travels, the crew encounters everything from time paradoxes to alien species such as Klingons and Romulans. Highlights from the second season include: The Trouble with Tribbles where cute furry aliens begin multiplying at an alarming rate aboard the Enterprise; Amok Time in which Spock experiences violent emotions culminating with him engaging Kirk in a battle to the death; and Who Mourns for Adonais? where the crew is captured by a powerful alien once known on Earth as the Greek god Apollo. The entire 26 episodes from the second season plus the special features are contained on seven discs. (Disc One: Amok Time, Who Mourns for Adonais?, The Changeling, Mirror Mirror. Disc Two: The Apple, The Doomsday Machine, Catspaw, I Mudd. Disc Three: Metamorphosis, Journey to Babel, Fridays Child, The Deadly Years. Disc Four: Obsession, Wolf in the Fold, The Trouble with Tribbles, The Gamesters of Triskelion. Disc Five: A Piece of the Action, The Immunity Syndrome, A Private Little War, Return to Tomorrow. Disc Six: Patterns of Force, By Any Other Name, The Omega Glory, The Ultimate Computer. Disc Seven: Bread and Circuses, Assignment: Earth, Special Features).

The overall video quality of this DVD set is very good. Images are accurate and clean with sharp detail. Colors are deep and faithfully reproduced with well-saturated hues. Black levels are uniformly dark throughout. Picture defect mastering is solid with no major flaws. The overall audio quality is also very good with the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track serving as the basis for this review. The soundtrack mix generally favors the forward channels. Dialogue is clear and natural sounding. Seeing somewhat limited activity, the surround channels are used for both ambient effects and the music score. The LFE channel is tidy and crisp. Tactile sound effects are present in the form of subtle impacts generated from the sound effects and music.

My main interest in this very Hollywood interpretation of War and Peace in the 50s was shared between Audrey Hepburn and the musical score by Nino Rota. In fact I wore out the LP of the soundtrack music. There have been many takes on Tolstoys lengthy opus, but this one would probably not come out the victor, although it was nominated for an Academy Award at the time. The top Hollywood actors and glorious costumes are set against the historical background of Napoleons ill-fated invasion of Russia. Audrey Hepburn looks so cute in her various costumes you might want to see it even if the rest of the film bores you to death for three and a half hours. Others might feel shes a bit too pert and bouncy. However, the real casting problem is Henry Fonda as Pierre. His manner of speaking, carrying himself and just his physical appearance seems to suggest hes still playing his Grapes of Wrath character rather than a wealthy Russian aristocrat. Theres plenty of war and not much peace. Theres intrigue and impossible romantic liaisons. Its an epic alright. Didnt quite make it to the end this sitting; well let you know how it turns out later.

The makers of this superb film turned their big 70mm cameras on the smartest animals in the ocean and came up with an informative, surprising and enjoyable film that plays with the viewer some like the way dolphins play with each other. I especially liked the navigation screens which have a dolphin leaping right out of the screen at you. We see the work of several people who devote their lives to understanding more about the world of dolphins. The footage of them swimming with the dolphins is glorious and the musical score helps the experience. Some of the human/dolphin communication is amazing. As with all the IMAX reductions to DVD, one can clearly see the higher resolution of the original 70mm film. The transfer is perfect, with no serious artifacts and the DTS surround is super.

This popular IMAX feature opens with the historic quest of man to fly like the birds, then takes us to the Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk, and spends much of the rest of the film with the Blue Angels as they practice and carry out their breathtaking maneuvers. Some of the basics of flight are explored and the scenes filmed in the cockpit of planes are very exciting - especially as they do some of the gravity-defying air acrobatics. The hi-def images and wide angle lenses provide a unique impression of flight and is used to full advantage to produce a compelling motion picture. However, I found a bit too much time was spent with the Blue Angels - I would have liked more historical and physics material rather than so much Air Force recruiting effort with the Blue Angels.

Fifteen year-old Cady Heron has lived most of her life in Africa alongside of her zoologist parents. When the family moves to Illinois, Cady attends school for the very first time. Cady discovers that the high school she is attending is comprised of various social cliques ranging from the jocks to the nerds. One particular clique, the Plastics, is made up of three pretty, but cruel, rich girls and they basically rule the school. Cady is invited to join this group and does so merely to discover any dark secrets that the girls may be hiding. Meanwhile, Cady falls for the former boyfriend of Regina, the Plastics leader. Regina does her best to break up Cadys blossoming romance, which in turn angers Cady and causes her to retaliate against Regina. Before not too long, Cady herself becomes as cold hearted and elitist as Regina. Its not until total chaos breaks out at the school before Cady recognizes how she has changed for the worse. A surprise smash at the box office, Mean Girls is a fun film. I am a fan of Tina Feys work on SNL and it is easy to spot her witty, biting satire in the films dialogue. Both teenagers and adults will be able to relate to the various characters and personalities portrayed therein. Recommended.

The overall video quality of this DVD is very good. Images have a soft appearance in general but are otherwise accurate with nice detail. Colors are vivid and bright with fully saturated hues. Picture defect mastering is perfect with no major flaws or artifacts. The overall audio quality is also very good with the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track serving as the basis for this review. The soundtrack mix favors the forward soundstage. Dialogue is intelligible and firmly anchored in the center channel. The surround channels see limited use for both sound effects and the music score. The low frequency channel is crisp and tight. Tactile sound effects are present in about one quarter of the DVDs chapters and appear as subtle impacts primarily from the music.